


What could go wrong?

by EvaAnon



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-06
Updated: 2018-01-11
Packaged: 2018-11-09 15:03:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11107035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvaAnon/pseuds/EvaAnon
Summary: Sara Ryder takes Suvi out shooting on Eos. What could go wrong?





	1. Scientists and shooters

**Author's Note:**

> Ok guys! After reading a lot (and I mean A LOT) of stories on this wonderful site, I decided that is was finally time for a story of my own. Which I am terrified of posting here because: 1) English is not my native language. 2) I usually don't write, so I have absolutely no clue what counts as good writing habits/styles or bad habits/styles and 3) this stuff just makes me nervous.
> 
> So after you've read it, please leave me a comment! You may also provide me with tips for future writing and even correct my grammar ;)

It had all started when they first met on the bridge of the Tempest, when Sara Ryder first came up to introduce herself to Suvi. It had only taken about a few questions and Suvi had started rambling about all the possibilities of exploration and research in Andromeda.

“I’ve studied all the planetary scans. I’ve even had some hands-on experience with native Heleus soil samples. If you want, I’ll send you my analysis on the native bacteria and micro fauna. Sixty pages.”

Ryder had to try her best to keep her jaw from dropping at hearing someone speak so passionate about dirt. Yet, all that enthusiasm and expertise was exactly what they needed the most in Heleus.

“So you’ll be joining us for missions? That would be the best way to get some first-hand information on the planets, I hear Eos has a great biodiversity” Ryder said.

Suvi looked amused at Ryder as if she had made a joke, until she realised that she was dead serious in inviting her to go planet side. She flushed red in the face and put a gloved hand over her mouth to cover her giggle.

“Oh that’s funny. Me. Out there. With the guns and the danger and everything. I don’t think that I could. I mean, you should have seen me during my first month in the molecular genetics lab. I think I may have broken three glass beakers and a dozen of pipets in my first two weeks alone. Not that that happens anymore, I swear I won’t break down the lab on the Tempest..Uhm, what I mean is, sometimes I get a little..shaky..maybe, when I’m in new situations. So I don’t think holding a gun and  shooting at things would be the best situation for me” Suvi rambled, in an attempt to explain to Ryder. “But you can bring me all the ‘dirt’ you like, and I’ll tell you everything about it you ever wanted to know” she said cheerfully, whilst making air quotes emphasizing the ‘dirt’.

While listening to the ramblings of Suvi, Ryder noticed how flustered her science officer became, and how she turned almost as red as her cute little freckles that dotted her nose and cheeks. _She really is too cute…_ It was clear to her that Suvi was indeed not intending to join her on any planet side missions but before she could help herself she teased: “A little shaky in new situations eh? So you feel you just came out of stasis all the time since you arrived in Heleus? Sorry, not trying to be mean! You know what, I’m actually quite good with guns, and danger. I could teach you, and make sure you’re OK out there. Just in case you’d like to get rid of the shakiness.” “ _Good with guns and danger? Really Sara? What are you thinking? You barely know how to hold an Incisor rifle.“_ She could almost slap herself in the face for saying it, but Suvi’s expression changed to something that looked like excitement mixed with a little anxiety. “Really? Maybe one day, when things are more settled. I couldn’t imagine a better teacher.” Suvi said. This time it was her turn to feel embarrassed. _“Couldn’t imagine a better teacher? Suvi Anwar, you just met this woman 5 minutes ago. Why do you have to get the hots for every woman with a rank that knows how to hold a gun?”_ She quickly added: “Anyway, I have just received some instructions from the science team and I really should go over them. Later then?”

“Sure thing, don’t let me keep you!” Ryder said hastily, wondering a little bit if she had been a little bit too forward with her science officer during the first 5 minutes they had been talking.

 

 

Some weeks after their first encounter on the bridge, and some mild and awkward flirting from Sara’s side, Suvi received a message on het omni-tool. It was 1:00 AM and Suvi woke up by the soft beep it made, indicating that she had received a message. She was lying in her bunk, top bed on the left side and could her the soft snoring of Liam from the other side of the room. Ok, technically it wasn’t _her_ bunk, as she had to share it with Cora, who was currently on duty. They’d had to switch bunks when Cora’s shift ended and Suvi’s started at 4:00 AM. Normally she’d ignore her omni-tool but she openend the message anyways, after muting her omni-tool to prevent the thing from beeping any further.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Your first planet side mission!  
To: Suvi  
From: Ryder  
Received at: 1:02 AM

Hi Suvi,

Not trying to startle you, I’m not actually sending you on a planet side mission. However, I’d love to take you to one of my favourite spots on Eos and teach you a little shooting. Just one-on-one, there’s no need to bring Drack along to cheer you on or to have Cora shout commands in your ear every 5 seconds. Don’t tell her I said that. And don’t worry, we’re not starting off with big shotguns or sniper rifles, I’ll just show you some standard Nexus gear! We can go the next time we land at Prodromos in about 2 days, so let me know if you’re up for it.

Ryder

P.S.

You know that Seven of Nine (Star Trek Voyager series from 1990, very old but awesome) was a astrometrics science officer who could totally handle herself in a firefight? Even if it’s almost 200 years old, this woman should be an inspiration to you 


	2. Caught by surprise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi folks. Second chapter is up, and I'm experimenting a bit with how I want to structure my text on screen. Layout may change a couple of times until I found the right way ;)  
> Enjoy!

Two days later, the Tempest was orbiting Eos as Kallo was in direct contact with Prodromos, trying to establish when they would be able to land.

Between all kinds of static, the voice of August Bradley could be heard: “….orms….I repeat….ficulty landing….ause of sandstorms….delay landing….urther notice…”

Suvi was nervously wobbling in her seat and unknowingly tapping with her foot on the floor, which Kallo noticed.

“There’s nothing to worry about Suvi, I’ll have her on the ground in no time. I think the worst of the sandstorm has already passed and the Tempest sure can take a little bit of wind.” Kallo tried reassuring her.

“Oh it’s not that Kallo! Not at all! I’m just a little nervous about going shooting with Ryder. Honestly, the prospect of me holding a gun and trying to shoot anything, even inanimate objects, has me more on edge than that sandstorm.” Suvi said nervously.

“Ah yes, your little rendez-vous with Ryder! Has she mentioned were she is taking you?” Kallo asked, while trying to calculate a course to Prodromos.

“No not really, somewhere near Prodromos I imagine. I really hope I’ve packed everything I need. There’s the biometric scanner, the nucleosome-sequencer, some sample tubes and boxes… Oh and she said that I could use her Scavenger armour because it’s a little lighter so I wouldn’t get too tired from wearing it...Shite, I don’t even know how to put that thing on. That reminds me, I left a data-pad here somewhere with the schematics of the Predator and the Avenger rifles, do you know where I left it? I wouldn’t want her to think I came unprepared. Do you think I should have prepared more?” Suvi rambled on, whilst trying to find her datapad.

SAM interrupted: “Dr. Anwar, the datapad you are looking for is currently packed in your bag which is located in the armoury.”

“Suvi, as much as I like to be prepared for anything, I think you may have over prepared yourself a little bit. Don’t you think that if Ryder wanted you to remember every screw of the Predator, she would have told you?” replied Kallo. He gave her a nod. “Ryder will make sure nothing happens, just go and enjoy learning new things like you always do!”

She hadn’t really thought about it like this. After all, Kallo was right. This was just another chance to learn something new. She cheered up after this, and got a little more excited for her date with Ryder this afternoon. At least, if they could land, that is. And it was a date right? Right?

“…Tempest…..have permission…land…” sounded over the radio. Kallo replied something to Bradley and typed in the coordinated of the landing site at Prodromos and spoke over the intercom: “Descent is green, we are approaching the LZ.”

After the landing, which had a lot smoother than could have been expected from the weather outside, Suvi hastened herself to the armoury, where she nearly bumped into Ryder and Cora.

”Oh sorry, my bad!” she almost shouted when she ran into a half-naked Cora and a little less than half-naked Ryder. Ryder was wearing a black sports-bra and had already put on the bottom part of her N7 armour. _O my goodness…she has definitely put on some muscle since we came to Heleus_ Suvi thought while admiring Ryder’s toned stomach and shoulders.

Cora was just putting on her sports-bra and was standing there in her briefs and said “No worries Suvi, you’re right on time!”

“Indeed, just in time” Ryder echoed. “Cora here is going to show you how to put on your armour, which basically means you get to look at how she puts in on because it’s very similar to yours. Then you just do what she does and I’ll help you adjust it to your size.”

“I like to dress lightly when using biotics” Cora explained. “Ok, so first things first. You’ll need some sports briefs and bra, but I’ll assume you’ve got the standard Nexus gear. Then you’ll have to put on a compression shirt and pants.” Cora said while putting on her compression shirt and opening a locker that contained more shirts.

Suvi quickly thanked the Lord in her mind for already putting on her sports-bra and sports-briefs and started to remove her science uniform. She grabbed one of the compression shirts and pants and quickly put them on.

“So far for the easy step” Cora said cheerfully. Cora moved on to put the rest of the armour on and Suvi tried her best to imitate what Cora was doing, meanwhile getting a little help from Ryder.

“Wow, hold on there, let me adjust that strap before you lose those” Ryder said while Suvi was moving on to the chest piece. Ryder reached out and pulled a strap that crossed Suvi’s quadriceps.

“I guess my leg muscles are not as developed as yours” Suvi joked as Ryder also adjusted the strap on her other leg. She felt a tingle in her stomach as Ryder squeezed her leg and pulled the strap.

“Ha, pray you don’t get the same as mine, I can’t fit in any regular trousers anymore” Ryder replied. “That’s a joke by the way, I’m not nearly as fit as Cora is” she added quickly.

Cora smiled, but didn’t say anything. They moved on to the chest piece, where Ryder helped Suvi again by professionally adjusting her chest straps.

 _It’s that I’m wearing 5 centimeters of armour, or you’d probably see what effect you’re having on me Ryder_ Suvi thought as she felt goosebumps coming up.

“There, all set!” Ryder said cheerfully, giving a bump against Suvi’s shoulder guard. “Looks good on you! Cora, are you ready to go?”

“Sure thing, just say the word” Cora replied, as she placed her assault rifle on her back.

 _Wait, was Cora joining them?_ Suvi wondered all of a sudden. As much as she liked Cora, she had thought that it was only going to be Ryder and her. A loud thump woke her up from her thoughts.

“Hey, are you kids almost finished? Haven’t got all day!” Drack shouted from outside the armoury.

“Coming!” Cora shouted, as she looked at Ryder. “Ok then, see you in a bit Ryder, let me know if you need anything.”

“Will do Cora, hope you guys can find those parts for Gil.”

Cora and Drack both left the upper deck and moved on to exit the Tempest while Ryder and Suvi stayed behind.

“Ok, now let’s get you a gun or two” Ryder said enthusiastically. “I was thinking about…maybe the Predator…and the Avenger? And if you like it you can try my Carnifex later.”

She pulled out two guns from the armoury and clicked them on Suvi’s armour, which immediately felt a lot heavier that she had hoped for. She picked up her bag with her belongings and together they left the armoury.

Outside, the sandstorm had passed and bits of blue sky and sun were starting to appear again. They walked through Prodromos, and started to climb up a steep hill that would lead to a plateau overlooking Prodromos.

About halfway up the hill, Ryder commented: “You know Suvi, I had half expected you to be out of breath by now!”

Suvi giggled, she had actually foreseen this comment. ”Well Ryder, as you may not know, I am not the type of science officer who only sits around all day behind her desk. I used to run marathons back in the Milky way” she replied with a smug face.

“Really? And that stamina of yours survived the trip to Heleus?!” Ryder said sounding surprised.

“No you moron, I started working out again in Heleus. You do know that we have a treadmill in the Tempest right?” said Suvi as she playfully pushed Ryder against her shoulder.

“So when do you work out? I’ve never seen you in the hold!”

“At 3 AM, just before my shift, probably when you’re still sound asleep” Suvi said. “Don’t look so surprised” she added after seeing Ryders face, “It’s just what a workout at 6 AM would feel like for you.”

“Yeah, I hate those” Ryder chuckled. “Here we are!” she said as they reached the top of the hill.

The view over Prodromos was absolutely breath taking. They could see the whole encampment, the water distillery and all the remaining radiation absorbers which were now not necessary anymore.

Suvi gasped out loud: “Oh wow Ryder…it’s beautiful! I understand why this is one of your favourite spots on Eos, even though I haven’t seen half of it.”

Ryder smiled as she looked at the beautiful redhead who looked around her, clearly in awe of the view. _You being here makes this spot even more beautiful_ she thought to herself.

“How about we try some of the heat we brought? Let’s just start with the Predator, that one’s light and easy” Ryder said as she put down the bag and started to unpack the guns and what looked like a little metal box.

She took the little metal box and walked away from the bag, counting her steps while she did. After about 20 meters she stopped, and put the box on the ground. She pressed a button on the box and a holographic target lit up. She adjusted some setting and the target increased a little in size.

Walking back to Suvi she said “holographic target practice, ideal for when you can’t replace the object you’re shooting at, and you can even make it move, but that may be a little bit advanced for now. Only thing is that your bullets go straight through it, so I set it up like this so that all our bullets will hit that rock behind it.”

She grabbed a Predator from the bag and took the one fastened to Suvi’s armour and handed it to Suvi. Suvi listened intently as Ryder gave her a lesson in gun preparation, and explained what all parts were named, which Suvi of course already knew from her schematics.

“So now it’s time to fire it, have you gotten the safety off?” Ryder asked. Suvi nodded. “Ok, then just do like this” Ryder said as she took position. Left foot forward. Right foot behind. Arms straight, left hand supporting the pistol. Both eyes open.

POW!

Ryder fired her gun and the target lit up in the centre area, indicating that Ryder had hit bullseye.

“Your turn!”

Suvi got into position, focusing first on her feet and then the positioning of her arms.

POW!

This time, the target didn’t light up and Suvi looked a little disappointed and lowered the gun.

“Happens to everyone the first time, go on, try again” Ryder said as she moved around her and placed her hands on her hips, which startled Suvi who hadn’t been expecting it.

“Wow easy, sorry didn’t mean to startle you” Ryder said apologetically. “I’m just adjusting your stance if that’s ok?”

“Uh, sure, sorry, didn’t mean to jump. Told you I get a little shaky.” Suvi said, cheeks flushing to a bright red.

Ryder placed her hands carefully on Suvi’s hips again and adjusted her stance until Suvi was in correct position. Suvi felt her heart racing and she didn’t know whether it was because of the gun or because of Ryder’s hands on her hips.

POW!

She fired the gun and the outer left band of the target lit up, indicating that Suvi had hit the target.

“Yes!! I got it Ryder!” she shouted as she made a little jump.

Ryder chuckled at her enthusiasm and replied “Yes you did! Well done!! Already on your second try!”

She high-fived Suvi and they continued their target practice for a while. Suvi steadily gained more confidence and started to enjoy herself whilst shooting at her target. Ryder made a second target appear that was smaller and moved around, where she would be able to practice on. After a little while, they changed rifles and started practicing with the standard Avenger model. Suvi had to get used to the increased kickback she got from the weapon, causing her to shoot 30 bullets in one round and only making 2 of them hit the target, whereas Ryder was hitting her moving target 98% of the times.

They took a short break and sat down to enjoy the view, and Ryder produced two cans of soda from the bag she had brought. They talked about why they both decided to join the Andromeda initiative, what they had left behind, and about the chances of Prodromos succeeding as the first human colony in Heleus.

After their break, Ryder walked back to adjust the targets again, as Suvi stayed with their bags and pulled out her biometric scanner for a quick scan of her surroundings. Ryder was smiling to herself and feeling very happy about how she was spending her day off. It seemed that Suvi was enjoying herself, that was all the cared about.

She was adjusting the target now to vary in size, which would provide an extra challenge for Suvi, when she was brutally awoken from her thoughts by a scream that sent an icy chill up her spine.


	3. Chemistry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Third chapter already! I've written a lot in a short time so I've got some more coming for you, but I'm not really sure how long I can keep up the one-chapter-a-day streak. Anyways, enjoy!

“AAAAAAAAAAAAHH!! RYDER!!!”

She whirled around and saw Suvi trying to crawl backwards, away from what appeared to be three giant Shemrys. They were aggressively approaching Suvi and spitting a green liquid which covered Suvi’s armored legs. “RYDER!!!” she screamed again, trying to kick at one of the Shemrys who was viciously attacking one of her boots.

Ryder immediately sprinted towards Suvi and hastily summoned a small singularity behind the Shemrys. They were drawn into the singularity and started spitting out more of the green liquid, which flew in random directions because the singularity caused them to float around helplessly. She quickly aimed three well placed shots at them, withdrew her singularity, and ran towards Suvi.

“Suvi! Suvi, are you hurt?!” she yelled as she knelt next to Suvi. Suvi hissed as tears started to roll over her cheeks. “My legs, Ryder my legs!!” Ryder looked down at her legs and swallowed hard as she felt her stomach churn. The green liquid was obviously some kind of acid, and was burning right through the fabric of the softer parts of the Scavenger armour. There was a soft sizzling sound as patches of fabric and skin were corroding, and deep red stains were starting to appear on the fabric.

“OH GOD, it hurts! Ryder, it hurts so bad!” Suvi cried as she squeezed Ryders arms. Ryder cradled Suvi, picked her up in her arms and shouted: “SAM, Suvi’s injured! Call Lexi! I’m coming to the Tempest right now! Some kind of acid. Call Lexi NOW!”

“Acknowledged Pathfinder” SAM replied as Ryder was carrying Suvi. She looked at the edge of the plateau they had climbed onto, right down on the Tempest. Fastest way down would be to jump.

“Suvi?” she said. “Close your eyes”. Suvi replied: “what?”. “Just do it”. Suvi complied, closed her eyes and pulled herself closer to Ryder. Ryder started running towards the edge, made a giant leap, and started falling. Just before they hit the ground, she activated her jump-jets and gave an extra biotic thrust to make sure they wouldn’t crash to death from the fall. She started running to the Tempest just as Lexi and PeeBee came running out.

Lexi shouted: “Ryder, what happened?” Ryder answered, out of breath: “Shemrys, acid, it’s dissolving her armor and skin!”

“Get her inside the med bay, now!” Lexi ordered. “SAM, do a mass spectrometric analysis of that acid asap!” Lexi ordered as Ryder and PeeBee carried Suvi into the Tempest.

“Acknowledged Dr. T’Perro”

Storming towards the med bay, PeeBee and Ryder almost knocked over an unsuspecting Liam, whose cheerful expression quickly changed into deep concern as he saw an injured Suvi being carried into the med bay. Ryder and PeeBee put Suvi on the nearest bed and Suvi hissed in pain again. “Oh God Suvi, I’m so sorry, you’re going to be OK! Lexi is going to take care of you!” Ryder said, her voice breaking.

“Ryder, PeeBee, please make some space and get out of the med bay” ordered Lexi as she ran in a few seconds after they had put her on the bed.

“But I need to be here for her.” Ryder argued.

“Out. Now.” Lexi replied with such authority that Ryder couldn’t do anything but comply. She and PeeBee left the med bay and the door hissed shut behind them.

“Ok Suvi, listen to me. I know it hurts but you are going to get through this in one piece.” Lexi reassured Suvi whilst grabbing a subdermal syringe. She quickly jabbed it in both of Suvi’s upper legs and Suvi immediately started to feel relief as her pain subsided significantly.

“This numbs the pain and helps to stop the bleeding, but I need to take a look at your wounds and make sure your muscles and nerves are intact.” Lexi said, looking at the chemical burn that covered half of Suvi’s upper legs.

“I’ve finished the mass spectrometric scan Dr. T’Perro. The acid is a mixture of phosphoric acid and sulphuric acid, as well as a dozen of other corrosive and irritating substances. The first two are present in a high concentration that cause the corroding of the skin.”

“Good, that’s good.” Lexi mumbled, as she quickly dived into one of the medicine cabinets next to her desk.

“Good?!! How is that good?!” Suvi yelled at Lexi, remembering those substances from her time in a molecular biology lab where she learned that getting any of those substances on your skin was anything but good.

“It’s good because we know what it is” Lexi replied. “And how to treat it.” She took what looked like a miniature spray bottle and sprayed a blueish liquid on Suvi’s legs, which immediately stopped the  sizzling sound.

“Now that we’ve neutralized the acid, there won’t be any further damage. But I’ll have to remove your armour and see how much damage already has been done” Lexi said as she started to use a small surgical omni-knife to cut away a part of Suvi’s armour.

Suvi felt her stomach churn and gasped as she saw Lexi professionally removing bits and pieces of her armour, revealing only more burned skin.

“Lexi? How bad is it?” she asked, her voice quivering. She started to feel light in her head and quickly looked away, seeking the safety of Lexi’s face.

“It looks superficial but I can’t be sure yet Suvi. SAM?” Lexi replied as she inspected the burns on Suvi’s legs.

“Dr. T’Perro, I am reading no abnormal neurological patterns. It seems unlikely that Dr. Anwar has suffered any permanent neurological damage” SAM interjected. “However, tissue grafting may be necessary to avoid permanent scarring of the upper legs.”  
  
“Thanks SAM”  Lexi said, and she removed the last bit of armour that had been stuck to Suvi’s open wound. She got up and tapped some instructions into the tissue-replicator, which started to hum softly as it started grafting bio-compatible synthetic skin. “Ok Suvi, you heard SAM. It’s likely that you’ll have no functional damage to your legs, but I will need to perform a small surgery to make sure you won’t get any movement impairing scars. I’m going to give you some anaesthesia now so I can perform the surgery, is that OK?” Lexi said as she stood beside Suvi.

Suvi nodded. “I… yes go ahead” she said. She reached out to Lexi’s hand. “Thank you Lexi.”

“Anytime Suvi, now lie back and slowly breathe in and out” Lexi said as she put a breathing  mask with an anaesthetic over Suvi’s mouth and nose.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Outside the med bay, Ryder was pacing nervously about. _What was taking so long? Was Suvi’s condition life-threatening? Why hadn’t she paid attention to her. Damnit why had she let it get to this?!_ She left out a groan and punched one of the metal racks next to the galley and instantly regretted it. “Ow!!” she yelled and left out another groan.

“Kid, will you just stop and calm down” Drack grumbled sticking his head out of the galley. “If you don’t settle down, Lexi will have to be treating two crew members because you’re going to break your twiggy fingers this way.”

Ryder gave Drack a look.

“Come on kid, have a seat.” Drack said as he tapped on the table in the galley. “What has gotten you so upset? That bullet that nearly punctured Liam’s lung last week was more life threatening than some stupid bug’s acid. What’s gotten to you?”

“She’s not a soldier Drack!” Ryder raised her voice. “She is not aware of the risks we’re taking when we’re out there. Liam, Cora, PeeBee, you, we all know our life’s on the line when we’re out there and we are trained to deal with that. But she isn’t! And I was supposed to protect her. And I didn’t! And now she’s hurt, and she’ll blame me for it, and she’s right to do so and…” Ryder started sobbing uncontrollably. “I’m sorry Drack, I shouldn’t be like this. But I just hate her seeing get hurt, and it’s my fault.” Ryder sobbed into her hands.

“Kid, from what I’ve seen from her, she’s a feisty one. She won’t let one incident with some bug chase her out of Heleus” replied Drack.

“No but she might not be able to walk right again! And if she does, she’ll probably request a transfer to the Nexus because she doesn’t want to see me ever again. Or both. Fuck, how could I let her out of my sight?!”

“Stop blaming yourself kid, it doesn’t change anything right now” Drack grumbled. “And stop feeling sorry for yourself. When she comes out of that med bay, live up to what she expects from you. You owe her that. If she wants a transfer, grant her that. If she doesn’t want to talk to you outside of duty, give her that. Not that I think she will, I hardly expect that she’ll blame you. And be better. Next time, you’ll be more focused, and better prepared to protect your crew” he added while smacking Ryder on her back.

“Ugh, I hate it when old krogan are sharing their wisdom and are actually right” Ryder groaned, while giving Drack a half smile.

“Go and do something and take your mind of it. Come do some target practice” Drack replied. He gave a roaring laugh “okay that may not be the best distraction right now. Go check out Gil’s new upgrades for the Nomad then. I’m sure you’ll be the first person Lexi notifies once they’re finished in there. Come on kid.” Drack said as he smacked Ryders back again and got up.

“Maybe you’re right” Ryder said as she got up as well, legs feeling heavier than ever.

As soon as they walked out of the galley, the doors of the med bay hissed open and Lexi walked out, smelling of disinfectant.

“Ryder, I was just coming to find you. She’s going to be ok, but can I have a word with you in de med bay?” Lexi said.

“Go ahead kid. You know where to find me” said Drack as he gave Lexi a nod and walked towards the hold.

Lexi led the way into the med bay and Ryder followed her, her eyes focusing immediately on Suvi, who seemed fast asleep. Her legs were covered by a half-moon shaped machine that was softly humming and emitting a blueish light.

“How is she? Is she sleeping? Can she hear us?” Ryder asked concerned.

“She’s still under anaesthesia, so no, she can’t hear us.” Lexi replied, looking at Suvi. “SAM and I managed to determine what the acid was and counteracted it. You were very quick in bringing her here. If it had been on her for ten minutes longer, possibly her muscles, nerves, and even bones could have been affected.”

Ryder flinched at hearing that. “But she’s going to be ok right? She’ll be able to walk, right?”

Lexi squeezed Ryder’s upper arm. “Yes Ryder, she is going to be fine. There’s absolutely no reason why she wouldn’t be able to walk. And chances are she’s not even going to have a lot of scars to show for it, maybe a few minor ones.”

Ryder let out a sigh of relief as she felt tears welling up again. “Oh God Lexi, that’s such a relief.”

“I have one more thing I wanted to ask you Ryder. Just before she went under anaesthesia, she requested that I’d ask you to be here in the med bay when she wakes up” Lexi said.

Ryders heart gave a jump. _Suvi wanted her to be there? Well, maybe to swear at her. But that was ok, she could swear and curse at her all she liked, as long as she got to be with her and make sure she was ok._ “Of course I’ll be here if she wakes up. How long is she going to be under anaesthesia for?”

“A few more hours, so I suggest you go and follow up on Drack’s suggestion to go and see what Gil is up to and I’ll let you know when…” Lexi hadn’t even finished her sentence when Ryder interrupted her: “Out of the question, I’ll stay right here until she wakes up!”

“Ok if you insist Ryder. But please be quiet. She needs a lot of rest and has still a lot of healing to do” Lexi replied. “I’m going to file her status so I’ll be here if you need me”.

Ryder was only half-listening to Lexi as she sat down next to Suvi’s bed, looking at the face of the beautiful Scot. She was abnormally pale, which made her freckles stand out even more, and her red hair was wet from sweat and strands of it stuck to her cheeks. She could see how shallow her breathing was and how dry her lips were. _Even when you’re like this, you’re still too gorgeous_ Ryder thought. _I’ll be here when you wake up. I’ll make sure you never get hurt again. And then I’ll do everything in my power to see that beautiful smile of yours again._


	4. Recovery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Fourth chapter is here. Hope you're still enjoying the story. It'll get a little more romantic soon^^.  
> And don't forget to give me some tips, I would really appreciate it!

After a few hours, Suvi started showing small muscle twitches, which freaked Ryder out at first. After being reassured by Lexi that it was a natural reaction of the body recovering from anaesthesia, she calmed down again.

“She’ll be waking up any minute now Ryder” Lexi said as she picked up the chart and started registering Suvi’s vitals.

Ryder looked at the redhead, who had her eyes still closed but was starting to move her head a little. A few minutes later, she left out a soft groan, and opened her mouth, clearly trying to say something. “Uuuuh…Ry…Ryder?” she managed to say.

Ryder felt her heart constrict, and she took Suvi’s hand. “I’m here Suvi.”

But Suvi was fast asleep again, and took another five minutes before she showed any signs of waking up again, while Ryder kept holding her hand.

“Ryder?” Suvi said again, as she opened her eyes. She looked right into the light blue eyes of Ryder, who was all too relieved to see her green-blue eyes again.

“Welcome back” Ryder said, giving a weak smile.

“Ryder, you’re here” Suvi said, who softly squeeze Ryders hand. She looked at her legs, which were still covered by the softly humming machine. “Ryder? Lexi? Why can’t I feel my legs?”

She looked first at Ryder and then at Lexi, a terrifying feeling creeping up on her. _What has happened to my legs?!_ She looked at her legs again and tried moving one of them. Nothing moved. _Why can’t I move my legs? If I can’t feel or move them, what the bloody hell has happened to me? Neurological damage? Possible, but then only at the level of the femoral nerves, certainly not at a cervical level. Or possibly spinal damage? What happens if my senses and movement don’t come back?!_

Both Ryder and Lexi could see the terror in Suvi’s eyes, but before Ryder could say anything, Lexi quickly stepped in: “Calm down Suvi, it’s an extra anaesthetic which numbs your legs locally. It affects the femoral nerves and sensory nerves, but it’ll take another while for them to wear off.”

They both saw the relief as Suvi registered what Lexi said. “So…um..sorry I’m terrified asking this, but I’ll walk again, won’t I?” Suvi asked carefully. Lexi smiled and replied: “Yes Suvi, you’ll be walking out of this med bay within two days if you’re recovering as expected.” Suvi sighed with relief and squeezed Ryders hand again, which she had been holding all the time. “What happened to me?” she asked, her memory of the events of the last hours being fuzzy and incomplete.

“Ryder will fill you in on that later, do you mind if I quickly do some tests to see if all your reflexes and vitals are ok?” Lexi said. Suvi nodded, and Lexi performed some routine tests and typed in the results in a data pad.

“Ok, that’s it for now. Everything looks fine. I’ll be back later to annoy you with more test, but I’ll leave you two alone for now. Ryder, please no longer than 15 minutes. After that, she’ll need to rest, ok?” Lexi said as she picked up some data pads. “If you need me, I’ll be right across the hallway.”

“Thank you Lexi” Ryder said, as Lexi left the med bay.

“Oh Suvi, I’m so glad you’re awake. Do you remember anything of what happened?” Ryder asked Suvi.

“Some things, but it’s all a bit hazy. I remember some bloody bugs that scared the shite out of me. And trying to fire that damn gun, but I couldn’t remember anything you had taught me, so I think I just ended up trying to kick them. After that, it’s just..” Suvi’s words trailed off. “After that, I only remember a searing pain in my upper legs, which seemed like it would never stop” she said with a lump in her throat.

Ryder swallowed. “Yeah, you were attacked by Shemrys, three big ones to be precise. They got their acid on your upper legs before I could get them off of you” she said apologetically. “I picked you up and jumped off the plateau to get to the Tempest as fast as I could.”

Suvi’s eyes widened at that. “You what?”

“Uhm, yeah, I may have jumped off a 100 meter high cliff while carrying you. But my jumpjets and biotics reduced the impact. I carried you to the med bay and Lexi and SAM found out really quickly what the acid was, and remedied it” Ryder explained.

Suvi’s memory started to return upon hearing this. “Lord, it was phosphoric and sulphuric acid wasn’t it? That could have practically dissolved my bones. You must have been really fast to get me here Ryder.”

 _Wait, what? Was that a compliment? What on Earth was she saying?_ Ryder thought at hearing Suvi say this.

“Well, yeah, but if I had paid attention to you, this would never have happened. You wouldn’t have been injured at all. Oh God Suvi, I am so sorry” Ryder said, almost unable to control her emotions.

Suvi looked at her intently, and gave a little smile. “Don’t you dare blame yourself Ryder. I mean, there’s no way you could have kept an eye on me every second that we were out there. And I should have been more watchful as well, but instead I was way too focused on my biometric scanner to notice that I was standing in a…what was it…a Shemrys nest. Please don’t be too hard on yourself Ryder.”

Ryder heart leapt at hearing Suvi say all this, and she felt relief when she realised that Suvi probably wasn’t going to ignore her for the rest of the years to come, or ask for a transfer to the Nexus.

“I…That’s more than I could dream to ask of you Suvi. I am still sorry, for putting you out there while you weren’t trained for the situation you were in” she said, looking at her own feet.

“Ryder, were any of us trained for what we’d encounter in Heleus? Are any of us _really_ prepared?” Suvi replied, as Ryder looked at her again.

“I used to think my father was, but then again, I think Heleus proved me wrong” answered Ryder. “I think you should get some rest, and sleep a little more. Otherwise I’m afraid Lexi will kick both our asses. Will you…will you let me know if there’s anything, and I mean _anything_ I can do for you?” Ryder said.

“I will, wouldn’t want Lexi getting upset with you” Suvi answered with a grin on her face.

“All right then, see you as soon as she lets me near the med bay again” Ryder said, and she got up and left the med bay.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Over the course of the next two days that followed, Ryder visited the med bay as often as Lexi allowed her to, bringing Suvi tea with either too much or too little milk. She was excited to hear that Lexi’s estimate had been correct and that Suvi was allowed out of the med bay two days after they had brought her in. She still had to take her pain medication, and was only allowed to walk on crutches or move around in a wheelchair, the latter of which she stubbornly refused. She also insisted that she should start taking up shifts again because “I’m only sitting behind my desk, and it’s not like I have to use my legs or anything”, but Lexi wouldn’t have any of it. “You are off duty for at least two days Suvi. Doctor’s orders. And my doctor title overrules yours in this case” Lexi had said.

So Suvi grudgingly complied and spent those two days doing just about anything to keep herself occupied. She eventually decided to keep an old promise she made to a friend when they were studying mathematics together. _Jenna_ , a true Scottish  girl in heart and soul, had quickly become her best friend in college, their common roots creating an immediate bond between them. They had resembled each other so much it was a little eerie. While Suvi already held a PhD in molecular biology, Jenna had one in Earth history.

One of her passions was, perhaps not very surprisingly, Scottish history, with a particular fondness for 17th and 18th century history. So, as it was, she had always begged Suvi to watch “Outlander” with her, which apparently was a 21st century series on the matter. In the end, they never watched it together and looking back to that time, Suvi was pretty sure that Jenna had been trying to get into her pants and watching Outlander together had just been meant as a distraction to spend a long evening together.

After they graduated Suvi had taken up a job in a different star cluster than Jenna, and they had to part ways, but not before promising Jenna that she would really, one day, watch that damned series. It made Suvi a little sad to think back of her friend, who she had left in the Milky Way as well, and who had probably died some several hundreds of years ago. Nonetheless, she made a promise that she would watch that bloody series, and as she had nothing to do for the next few days, she might as well give it a try.

She found the files somewhere in the ancient depths of the data-storage of her omni-tool and put it on. _Sheesh, could those colours have been any more dull? And didn’t they have 3D by then? Well at least they got the accent right_ Suvi thought to herself while she was 15 minutes into the first episode. Quickly she found herself on a roll, and put on one episode after the other.

On her last night in the med bay, she still wasn’t allowed to sleep in her own bunk because Lexi forbade her to climb any ladders, Ryder walked into the med bay, as she had been doing for the last three days, just before she started her evening workout.

Suvi looked up from her omni-tool, eyes lighting up as she saw Ryder, who was wearing a particularly well-fitting tank top and sport shorts this evening. _Oh goodness Ryder, you are going to kill me one day_ she thought to herself as her eyes lingered on Ryders breasts, and then moved to her toned legs.

“Ye werena the first lass I kissed. But I swear you'll be the last” came a heavy, sultry, manly voice from her omni-tool.

“OH SHITE!” Suvi exclaimed, realising she hadn’t been wearing her headphones. She quickly tapped on her omni-tool, trying to shut it down.

Ryder looked completely surprised at the unexpected male comment, and burst out in laughter. “O my god Suvi, what WAS that? What are you watching!?”

Suvi flushed utterly red in a matter of seconds, a habit she seemed to be developing around Ryder. “Uhm, nothing interesting really. Just some 21st century show I promised a friend I would watch sometime” Suvi quickly said, feeling nothing but relief that she had managed to shut down her omni-tool before Ryder could have seen the two butt-naked people in the episode about to engage in their wedding-night festivities.

“21st century you say? Well that accent hasn’t changed a bit since then!” Ryder chuckled as she sat down next to Suvi’s bed and put a cup of tea on her night stand. “Although it sounds cuter with you than with him” she added, giving Suvi a small wink.

“Ryder!” Suvi giggled, as she took her tea from the night stand. “Thank you, you’ve almost got the milk right this time” she teased as she took a few sips from her tea.

“Glad to be of service madam” Ryder replied. “So Lexi is finally letting you out of your prison without walls tomorrow?”

“Aye! My word, it’s such a relief to be finally getting to work again. I have been feeling so useless for the past few days. Think about all the research I could have been doing on those new Aya plants Liam brought on board a few days ago! Honestly, if someone puts out a paper on them before I do, I’m holding Lexi responsible. Ok, that may not be fair, considering how kind she has been and how well she has been taking care of me. I almost designed a new algorithm for her to sort medical information by species as well as sex and age, but she wouldn’t have any of it. Uhm…I’m rambling again am I? Suvi said, as she quickly took another sip from her tea.

“Maybe a little bit, but don’t let that stop you” Ryder said, smiling. “It’ll be great to have you back on the bridge. I think Kallo is getting lonely up there, because he’s sort of starting to have conversations with his control panels. And I kind of miss seeing you up there and giving me all sorts of new information before I had my first cup of coffee in the morning” Ryder joked.

Suvi gave her a slap on the arm. “I don’t do that anymore and you know it! Not after the incident with the ‘orgasms’ ” Suvi exclaimed, while making air quotes. Ryder giggled as she remembered a particularly  sleepy morning when she had made her appearance on the bridge and Suvi had enthusiastically explained to Ryder how she had discovered at least twelve new organisms in a particular solar system. Ryder, still being half-asleep, had had a Freudian interpretation and shouted: “What?! Twelve new orgasms? How?” which had led to Suvi laughing uncontrollably, and Kallo commenting that someone should kill him now.

Ryder chuckled and said: “No you’re right, you’re not.” She looked at Suvi’s legs, which were covered by a sterile white blanket. Apparently, there were no medical devices required to stimulate the healing of Suvi’s legs, which was a relief to Ryder. “How are your legs? Are you in any pain?” she asked.

Suvi finished her tea and put down the mug on her nightstand and answered: “It doesn’t hurt but Lexi’s keeping me on a strict pain killer diet. At this rate, chances of getting liver and kidney damage are higher than of me feeling any pain whatsoever. But to be honest, maybe it’s for the best. There was actually a lot of skin and nerve ends that were damaged so it would still _bloody_ hurt if I didn’t take them. Pardon my Martian.”

“And how are your wounds healing, I see that you don’t need those medical devices anymore?” Ryder asked.

“No that’s true, although they helped incredibly at integrating the synthetic-skin. Right now, the wounds look like they are about two months old. I have a few small purple scars on the edges of the skin graft, but Lexi assured me they’ll fade in time. She’s mainly keeping me here to let my body recover from the trauma in general, and to annoy me of course” Suvi said, almost cheerfully.

Ryder had been in awe of modern medicine before, but she was still surprised to hear that Suvi’s wounds had healed so fast. “I’m so happy to hear that Suvi. So that means that I get to see you tomorrow morning on the bridge again?”

“Absolutely, I’m ready for duty!” Suvi said.

“Great! Then I’ll leave you to your Scottish series” Ryder said as she got up. Before she could help herself, she gave Suvi a small peck on the forehead, flushed red immediately, and almost sprinted out of the med bay after that.

Suvi flushed red as well, for what felt like the tenth time that evening. She decided to keep her Outlander episode for a later time, and switched off the lights as she kept thinking about how Ryder had kissed her on the forehead. Next time, she might want to aim a little bit lower…


	5. Constellations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter five is up! :D Hope you're still enjoying the story. I'm still enjoying writing it a lot, and got a lot more in store for you guys.

_Some few weeks after the incident with the Shemrys_

 

“Come on Ryder, keep those hands up! Don’t lower your defences! You’re cheating again with your stance, and you need to keep those kicks high!” Cora shouted at Ryder, who was wearing only some sport shorts and sports bra, as she was repeatedly kicking her punching dummy. “Higher!”

All of her muscles felt like they were on fire, her lungs burned and she felt like she was going to pass out any minute. But damned if she was going to quit right now. Another kick, right in the neck of the dummy. Somewhere far away she could hear a sound of approval from Cora. Next combination, just three more to go. She was punching the dummy in the stomach now, when she heard Cora shout corrections at her again.

“ You know Cora…” She punched the dummy again. “I would really…” Punch. “...Really...” Punch. “…like to use you…” Punch. “...as my dummy...” Punch. “…right now…” She punched the dummy with all the strength she had left and let her hands fall on her knees as soon as she finished her last combination. “Ok I need a break, seriously, I think I can taste blood in my mouth” Ryder said, completely exhausted and gasping for air. She had been exercising with Cora for at least an hour and a half and Cora had come up with some brutal routines to improve Ryder’s strength and stamina.

“All right then, two minutes break Ryder, then we do another block of fifteen!” Cora said, grabbing a towel and water bottle. As she gave them to Ryder, she leaned in and said in a low voice: “And you better use the correct form, otherwise you’ll never impress Suvi” and she gave Ryder a quick wink.

Ryder’s eyes widened. Was she that obvious? Sure, Suvi had been in the hold a couple of times when Ryder and Cora worked out, and perhaps Ryder had been stealing some glances at her, but it couldn’t have been that obvious! She remembered that she only had left another minute or so before Cora was going to go full drill-instructor on her again, so she quickly chucked down as much water as she could without choking, and wiped the sweat of her forehead. _Maybe she should step up her game a little if she really wanted to get closer to Suvi. Just casually trying to be around her probably wasn’t going to cut it…_

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 _Am I being too obvious? No, no, Suvi you’re just here to fix your scanner with Gil’s plasma driver. You’ve got every reason to be here. That Ryder’s here is just a…happy coincidence? Again. Ok you know you’re lying to yourself. Fuck, she is looking so. damn. sexy. today._ Suvi thought, as she was sort of pretending to work at a bench, just across the room where Cora and Ryder were exercising.

She could see Ryders focused face and she was punching and kicking the dummy. She could see the little droplets of sweat rolling down her forehead, the flexing of her abs and her shoulders. She could hear her groans of effort as she kicked the dummy again. Ryder said something about wanting to use Cora as a punching bag and bent over, hands on her knees as she gasped for air. Unknowingly, she gave Suvi full access to a view of her cleavage.

 _Oh, good Lord._ Suvi thought to herself, as she caught herself staring at Ryders breasts _. Images of her dragging a sweaty Ryder into the shower popped up in her head. Pushing her against the shower wall, finally feeling those muscular shoulders, kissing her in the neck. Her hands sliding around Ryder’s waist and up to her breasts, feeling her hard nipples through her soaked sports bra, hearing Ryder moan softly into her ears as her hips jerked forward. “Oh fuck Suvi…”_

“Suvi?... Hello, Suvi?”

Suvi snapped out of her thoughts as she heard someone repeatedly say her name. “Yes?! Oh, Ryder! Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention” she hastily said as she looked bewildered at Ryder.

Ryder, still catching her breath from her workout, was standing right in front of Suvi, waving her hand in front of Suvi’s face as she tried catching her attention. “Hope I’m not interrupting some brilliant thoughts there” she said teasingly.

 _If you only knew_ Suvi thought to herself. “No, no! Not at all. I was just trying to fix this thing, but maybe I should let Gil take a look at it. Sorry, you were trying to ask me something?” Suvi answered, while showing Ryder the scanner.

Ryder asked her, in a most hopeful tone: “I wanted to ask if you would like to, uhm, hang out later, when I’ve finished my work out? I’ve got a night off and a hidden stash of cold beer. All credits to Liam for that. Also, I’ve got a great tea kettle if you’d prefer…”

Before she could finish her sentence, Suvi interrupted her: “Sounds great Ryder, I’d love to!”

Ryder’s smile widened. “Great! Cora will torture me for another fifteen minutes and then I really need to take a shower, so uhm, what about 8?”

“8 sounds great!” Suvi chirped.

“Ryder! Time’s up, get your ass back here!” Cora shouted at Ryder.

“Eight it is then” Ryder said cheerfully, and she whirled around and jogged towards Cora, preparing herself for another torturous routine.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

After trying on three different outfits, Suvi had abandoned her search for the perfect outfit. She had left one of her most beautiful red dresses back on the Nexus because she thought it would only be excessive baggage on the Tempest, and didn’t think she’d ever have to wear it. For that, she was now silently cursing herself. She made do with one of her regular uniforms which, although it had a few Nexus patches, looked sort of elegant yet relaxed on her. _Ryder probably won’t show up in black tie if she’s planning to drink beer tonight, so no need for dresses right?_ She thought to herself as she brushed her hair. She rummaged through her toiletries, took a little soft pink lipstick out of it and put it on her lips. Her omni-tool beeped softly, notifying Suvi that she had an appointment in five minutes. After checking her omni-tool, she decided to mute the entire thing for the rest of the night. Tonight the Nexus science team and all their discoveries and requests could wait.

She had barely knocked, as the doors of the Pathfinder's quarters hissed open and she was greeted by a very enthusiastic looking Ryder. She was wearing her casual blue-white Nexus hoody and trousers, and Suvi felt instant relief she hadn’t dressed up too much. “Dr. Anwar! What an honour and pleasure to entertain you at my quarters tonight” Ryder cheered as she jokingly took a little bow and extended her arm, gesturing Suvi to come inside.

Suvi’s eyes widened at seeing how spacious the Pathfinder’s quarters were. _O my goodness, she has her own desk, wardrobe, ships models, and a huuuuuge bed. Bet she doesn’t have to share it with anyone unless she wants to_ Suvi thought as she looked around her.

“Pretty impressive huh?” Ryder said, while awkwardly rubbing the back of her head. “Not really my idea, but I’m the last person to complain”.

“It’s amazing! It’s bigger than my apartment at the Nexus!” Suvi exclaimed, as she wandered around, taking in every detail of the room.

“So I thought the best use of it was to share it with someone” Ryder said cheerfully. Suvi turned to look at Ryder. “Uhm, you know, tonight” Ryder said quickly. “Uh, no not for just tonight, uhm I mean, just to have some drinks with someone. Well, with you, actually” Ryder stammered and Suvi let out a giggle she couldn’t conceal.

“Ok, so now that we’ve established that I am absolutely and completely awkward, can I offer you some tea Suvi? Maybe we should wait with the beer, as I’ve just finished my workout” Ryder joked, trying to lighten the conversation.

“Sound good!” Suvi answered and she sat down on the couch and made herself comfortable. She looked outside of the windows into the vast, pitch black emptiness that was Andromeda. She and Ryder got into a conversation about having to name new constellations in Heleus, and how strange it was not to be able to recognize any of the stars that were visible outside of the Tempest.

“It’s a strange feeling” Ryder said. “Back when I guarded the Charon relay, the constellations of the Sol system looked a little different than from Earth, but they were still _our_ constellations. And at the Citadel, you got familiar with the constellations in that solar system at one point. Here, nothing really feels familiar.”

“I know! That feeling is probably exactly what some people came here to find, me included” Suvi answered. “But I can’t help having the feeling that sometimes, I need something familiar to know which way to go from here. The stars feel like a compass of which I don’t know to what it is pointing.”

“Or maybe it feels like we are like old sailors who used the Polaris to navigate, only we don’t know which star is our Polaris yet.” Ryder said.

“Exactly” Suvi answered.

They sat silently for several minutes, looking at the stars, when Ryder asked Suvi if she’d like another cup of tea.

Suvi nodded, but jumped up as she remembered something. “I’ve got an idea, if you put on the water, I’ll be right back!” she said as she got up and sprinted through the door, leaving Ryder a little confused. She put on the kettle anyways, waiting for Suvi to return. Within half a minute, Suvi had returned with what looked like an old tin can. 

She waited for the water to boil, and put in what looked like old school tea bags. “It’s a cultivar  originating form Sumatra. My own personal stash. Once I run out, that’ll be it for earth tea” Suvi said, almost sounding a little bit sad. She continued: “I keep having these thoughts. I’m never going to taste this again, I’m never going to see that again.”

Ryder looked at Suvi, who was absentmindedly blowing on her tea to cool it. “You’re not the only one Suvi, I have those senseless thoughts all the time” Ryder said, as she put her hand on Suvi’s forearm.

Suvi looked up at Ryder. “And do they bother you?”

Ryder gave a soft smile and said: “It’s natural, you’d have to be made of stone not miss home sometimes. Especially because you left a lot of family in the Milky Way.”

“The universe is like a giant tapestry. I love following it’s threads, but it distracts me from the whole picture. My family was right there Ryder... But I was too occupied by the abstract to appreciate them” Suvi said with a low voice.

 _She’s hurting because she misses her family_ Ryder thought to herself. _If only I could be for you what you need right now. If only I could make you see them again._

“From everything you’ve told me, you’re here because of your family. Your love of science, doesn’t it come from them? Aren’t you with them every time you chase down a new discovery?” She said, as she squeeze Suvi’s arm.

“Ryder, that’s beautiful” Suvi answered. She had been lost in thought for the past few moments, thinking about her brothers and her parents. How they had hugged her nearly to death on the day of her departure. How she had cried almost all the time that day. How they made her promise never to give up her passion for science and discovery.

“My father was an explorer and my mother a researcher, everything I do here reminds me of them. I haven’t lost them either” Ryder continued, feeling a stab of hurt as she thought of her parents. “And Suvi, the threads you followed, have led you here to me. How could that have been a mistake?”

Suvi looked at Ryder, feeling tears pricking behind her eyes. Ryder was right. Sometimes it felt like they were a ship, adrift in Heleus, being at the mercy of the tides, without anything to help them navigate. But Ryder, Ryder was quickly becoming Suvi’s Polaris, someone she wanted to cling on to, someone who gave her direction and made her feel secure. She was starting to fall in love with her.

She smiled, took Ryder's hand and said: “Of everything I have encountered here in Heleus, you are by far my favourite.”

A kiss.

She nearly hadn’t finished her sentence or she was surprised by Ryder, who lowered her head towards Suvi and pressed her lips onto hers.

It wasn’t a fierce kiss. It was soft, shy. She felt Ryders soft lips on hers, some strands of her hair tickling her cheeck, and her arm which was wrapped around her back. Her heart may have skipped five beats, and she felt a tingling feeling, just below her abdomen as she kissed Ryder back.

Their lips parted and she looked into the fearless light-blue eyes of Ryder. She could stare all day at those eyes. She wanted to kiss her again, to feel her lips again against hers. She wanted to know how Ryder tasted, and to have Ryder hold her again as she just did. But she had to know. To know this was not to have her for one night.

“Ryder…” she said breathlessly. “Don’t do this to me, not unless you really mean it.”

Ryder’s heart was beating like crazy. She could see the doubt in Suvi’s eyes as she said it. _Does she think I’m going to hurt her? Has she been hurt by someone before?_ Ryder thought to herself as she looked into Suvi’s eyes. They were so close that she could count the freckles on Suvi’s nose.

“I know, and I’m serious. Serious about us.” Ryder said.

This time, Suvi initiated the kiss. She pulled Ryder close and closed the distance between their mouths. Their kiss was still soft, but less hesitant than the first. She let her hand slide through Ryders hair as her other hand found Ryder’s hip. Ryder’s breath hitched and she kissed Suvi, her hand traveling up her back. Ryder slowly parted her lips and she softly teased Suvi’s with her tongue until she felt Suvi part her lips. After a long and gentle kiss, their mouths parted again and they looked at each other, smilingly.

“Thank you, for inviting me tonight” Suvi said softly.

“I’m so glad I did” Ryder answered.


	6. A view of home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Sorry it took me a while for this chapter, real-life responsibilities took up all my time. Hope you'll enjoy!

The next few days Suvi was constantly walking around with a big grin on her face. She tried not to be too obvious but she couldn’t keep from smiling all the time, and flushing utterly red every timer Ryder appeared on the bridge. Kallo had caught on almost immediately, and asked her if everything was all right? “Fine Kallo! All fine, all good!” Suvi had replied, knowing PeeBee was within earshot, and she really wanted to keep the gossip down to a minimum.  
  
On duty her thoughts kept going back to that night with Ryder. Their first kiss had only been a prelude to a whole, wonderful night of kissing and intimate moments with Ryder. Ryder hadn’t been lying when she said that Liam had acquired some wonderful beers, and she had revealed eight ice-cold bottles of Heleus beer, named “Elaaden’s Bliss”. Together they had finished the beers, both completely forgotten how bad their alcohol tolerance had become since departing the Milky Way.  
  
The first part of their night after that had been filled with conversations about their homes in the Milky way, while Suvi had been lying on the couch with her head in Ryder’s lap, who kept playing with Suvi’s hair. After the alcohol kicked in, gradually they had become increasingly giggly. At one point they had both ended up in a fit of laughter when Ryder tried to show that she really could juggle three beer bottles. Luckily the bottles had been made of non-breakable glass.  
  
The mood had shifted when Ryder decided to take revenge on Suvi for laughing so hard at Ryder failing at juggling, and they had ended in a tickling fight, which escalated really, really quickly into a heavy make-out session on the couch.  
  
Suvi recalled feeling Ryder’s weight on top of her, being pinned down by her strong arms, and completely losing her mind when Ryder started kissing her in her neck. She could still feel goose bumps on her arms as she thought how Ryder has endlessly kissed her, there on the couch. All those kisses in her neck, just below her ear, her throat…And Ryder’s soft moans in her ear. She barely repressed a shudder.

At one point, they both got up from the couch and Suvi had pushed Ryder not so gently on the bed. Ryder, not expecting Suvi to take the lead, had been surprised and completely turned on. They had resumed their making out on the bed, this time with Suvi being on top. She had been sitting on top of Ryder, and made it her personal mission to kiss every inch of Ryder’s naked skin. When that turned out to be not quit a lot, she had tried pulling off Ryder’s hoody. At that point, Ryder had stopped her, gently taking her hands and kissing her softly on the mouth. “Suvi, as much as I want this, and God I want this, let’s uhm…can we wait until we’re sober? I mean, I’m not against sex when drunk or anything. Just not the first time, ok?”  
  
Suvi’s heart had melted at that, and she had kissed Ryder and said at least ten times that she thought Ryder was right and that she usually wasn’t like this. Eventually, they had passed out in Ryder’s bed, fully clothed, and appeared on duty the next day with a solid hangover.  
  
Suvi caught herself grinning again, and decided to send Ryder a quick message on her omni-tool.

  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Subject: Kallo thinks I’m crazy  
To: Ryder  
From: Suvi  
Received at: 3:28 PM  
  
My dearest Sara,  
Kallo thinks I’ve lost it because I keep smiling and giggling for no reason. Except it’s not for no reason. You’re the reason.  
  
Suvi  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Ryder smiled from ear to ear as she read Suvi’s message. She had been stealing looks all the time while she was on the bridge, but never managed to catch Suvi on a moment when she was alone. It seemed that especially PeeBee was around all the time when she tried to catch Suvi’s attention.  
  
In the two weeks that followed, Ryder and Suvi managed to share a few private moments. They occasionally took short breaks together, Ryder had shown Suvi the market on Aya and bought the fruits she had been so ecstatic about a few weeks ago. Purely for research purposes of course, Suvi had proclaimed, as she pointed out how many things she could deduce from the cellular composition of the yellow-purplish fruit. They even had tried to go on a proper date in the Vortex bar on the Nexus. Tried, that is.  
  
Unfortunately, their evening had been cut short by the three musketeers, Liam, PeeBee, and Drack, who had barged into the Vortex and upon seeing them, had moved in three more chairs and they had spent their night playing Thresher Maws of Doom. It had been completely hilarious, especially when one of Liam’s dreadlocks caught fire and he decided to put it out by putting the curl in his drink, but it hadn’t really been what Ryder had in mind that night with Suvi.  
  
Ryder grinned at remembering Liam’s hair catching fire, but decided it was time for a proper rematch for her last date with Suvi. She typed a message to Suvi, inviting her to her quarters after both of their shifts had ended. For tonight, she had something special in mind.  
  
Suvi beamed as she saw Ryder’s message and she felt so relieved that this time she remembered to bring her red dress with her from her apartment at the Nexus. She couldn’t help looking at the clock at her control panel every few minutes during her shift, and the hours seemed endless. She tried being enthusiastic about Kallo’s new trajectory calculation methods, but her mind kept wandering off to the end of her shift. Luckily for her, Kallo was too busy tattering about his newfound love.  
  
At the end of her shift, Suvi just about stormed off to the crew quarters and took her red dress from her locker and put it on a hanger next to the showers, as she quickly jumped in.  
  
She let the water wash over her, soaking her copper hair. Standing with her face toward the wall, just giving a little more privacy to other Tempest crew members who might come into the bathroom, she washed her hair carefully, wishing they had some kind of other shampoo other than the standard Nexus stuff. She lathered her body methodologically with shower gel as she usually did, yet lingered when her hands arrived at her breasts. She thought about her last date with Ryder in her quarters and remembered how Ryder had been lying on top of her, her breasts pushing against her own, feeling the weight of Ryder on top of her.  
  
Without really noticing, she had started gently massaging her breast, and she now softly squeezed her nipple, which immediately stiffened to the touch. She tried to stop herself from making any sounds, but left out a soft exhale. _Ryder was on top of her, kissing her neck and gently biting. She couldn’t help but to moan, just next to Ryder’s ear, feeding her passion and making her kisses even more fierce. She could feel a strong thigh between her legs, the weight being just enough to drive her crazy, but not enough to find purchase and really make contact. Her breath hitching as she felt Ryder slipping a hand under her uniform, shimmering over her stomach but steadily making her way up to her breast. First being gentle with her, but then taking her nipple between two fingers and pinching it, encouraged by her moans. Driving her even more crazy by playing with her nipples, sometimes softly drawing circles just next to them, and then again giving them little tugs that made her moan uncontrollably._  
  
Suvi woke up from her thoughts and caught herself, still in the shower, while one hand was still massaging her breast, while the other had lowered itself to her abdomen and was now shimmering through the small, red curls that lingered there. Her hand shot away the moment she realised she was still in the semi-public shower of the Tempest, and she quickly washed the rest of the shampoo and shower gel away.  
  
After she finished, she turned around gave a start as she came directly face-to-face with PeeBee, who gave her her usual mischievous smirk. She was completely dressed, and stood next to the red dress Suvi had put on a hanger.  
“PeeBee!” she shouted. “Sheesh, you scared me! How… How long have you been standing here?” Suvi said as she turned off the shower and quickly grabbed a towel to bury her head in so PeeBee wouldn’t see the guilty expression on her face.  
  
“Long enough” PeeBee said as she admired Suvi’s dress, and casually blocked the doorway. “Or perhaps maybe not long enough, judging by your face” she added, looking Suvi straight in the eye.  
  
Suvi felt completely mortified. She felt at easy with every single crew member of the Tempest, but that didn’t mean they had to see her in this situation. She cursed herself for not paying attention, and she cursed the designers of the Tempest, who clearly had never given thought about the crew’s need for privacy now and then.  
  
Before Suvi could say anything, PeeBee continued, while stroking the fabric of Suvi’s dress: “So this does it for Ryder? Or is it the accent?”  
  
She looked again at Suvi, this time letting her eyes linger on Suvi’s breasts. “Or maybe it’s something else entirely” she smirked as she started to loosen the straps of het jacket and pants.  
  
Suvi was still completely petrified, and couldn’t help but stare as PeeBee started to undress right in front of her, apparently feeling no sense of shame whatsoever. _What has gotten into her? Was she now actually flirting with her? Or worse, completely sexually intimidating or challenging her? Ok stay calm, focus on her eyes. Don’t stare, don’t stare!_  
  
PeeBee had now finished undressing and was standing completely naked in front of Suvi, just two meters away, only dressed with her casual smirk. She stepped forward to Suvi and got so close their noses nearly touched. PeeBee leaned forward and whispered into Suvi’s ear: “Lost your tongue? Better quickly find it again, because you’ll probably need it for Ryder tonight.”  
  
Suvi’s could feel the breath of PeeBee whispering in her ear, and she felt the hairs of her neck stand up, unknowing whether it was because of the uncomfortable closeness of PeeBee or the implied sexual act with Ryder. She flinched and took a small step sideways to put a little more distance between her and PeeBee. Not knowing what to answer because she didn’t want to tell PeeBee she and Ryder hadn’t had sex yet and not wanting to tell her the opposite, she just remained quiet, and hoped PeeBee would actually for a change to the same.  
  
PeeBee ignored Suvi’s small step away from her and continued in a seductive voice: “I’m just saying, if you two ever get bored of the same old same old, I think I’ve got about 300 years of experience that might teach you something. Just think about it.” She added a wink to the last thing she said, and then her expression returned to her ever so cheerful and innocent expression, as she stepped away from Suvi and into the shower. “Dr. Anwar, why are you still here, weren’t you supposed to meet the Pathfinder in her quarters ten minutes ago?” she said innocently as if the whole three minutes before that had never happened.  
  
Suvi regained her composure and chose just to go along with PeeBee’s innocent act and replied, as she quickly started drying her hair: “Shite, you’re right PeeBee, I’ve been showering for way too long. Hope there’s still some hot water for you. Gotta go!” She quickly put on her underwear and grabbed her dress and made her way out of the shower, still feeling completely perplexed by what just had happened.  
  
She put her dress down on her bunk and put both of her hands on one of the walls of the crew quarters. She was feeling light headed and noticed how fast her heart was beating and how quick her breathing was.  
  
“Suvi? Are you okay?”  
  
She felt a hand on her upper arm.  
  
Her instinct took over and she jerked her arm away. She whirled around and expected to see a naked PeeBee as she shouted: “Don’t touch me!!”  
  
She looked in the face of a startled asari, but it wasn’t a naked one. And it definitely wasn’t PeeBee.  
  
Looking in the eyes of a startled Lexi, she covered her mouth with both her hands, and she quickly said. “Oh god, I’m so sorry Lexi, I didn’t mean to give you a fright!”  
  
Lexi, now looking a little worried, answered: “It’s ok Suvi. And sorry, I didn’t mean to sneak up on you. Are you feeling well? It looked like you were getting sick.”  
  
“I’m… I’m ok Lexi. Just feeling a little light-headed. It’ll pass!”  
  
Lexi didn’t look very convinced.  
  
“Honestly, you know I’m the first one to knock on your door if my vitamin supplements run out, so it’s nothing serious” Suvi tried.  
  
Lexi answered: “Ok Suvi, if you say so. But you let me know if you’re not feeling well or if there’s anything else that’s on your mind, ok?”  
  
“Promise.”  
  
With that, Lexi left the crew quarters, leaving a rattled Suvi behind.  
  
“Dr. Anwar, may I remind you that you have an appointment with the Pathfinder at 8 PM, and that you are currently late by 14 minutes?” SAM sounded over the intercom.  
  
“Ow shite, really?” Suvi cursed, as she quickly started to put on her dress and getting her hair in a presentable state.  
  
“Will you please tell her I’m on my way SAM?”

“Of course, Dr. Anwar.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  
After pacing for about twenty minutes in her quarters, and even making another quick change to her outfit –she was now wearing a light blue blue blouse instead of her usual hoodie– Ryder was relieved to hear a familiar sound, indicating someone was outside her quarters.  
  
She eagerly opened the doors of her quarters, which softly hissed open, and she felt her jaw drop. Standing in the door opening was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen, dressed in a silk red dress and black heels. _Where the hell did she get those?!_ She felt her stomach tighten and a tingle just between her legs as Suvi took a few steps inside.  
  
“Ryder!” she said cheerfully. “Sorry I’m la...”  
  
Before she could finish her sentence, Ryder had stepped forward and kissed Suvi without thinking. Just as quickly as she had kissed Suvi, just as quickly she stopped again, realising her forwardness. She quickly stepped back and said:  
  
“Ahem. Hey Suvi. You’re looking absolutely…gorgeous tonight. But you were saying?”  
  
Suvi left out a small giggle. “Thanks Ryder, you’re looking very fine as well. I was apologising for being late, apparently it was rush hour in the showers” Suvi said.  
  
“Just glad you’re here. And I hope you haven’t eaten yet?” Ryder said, as she gestured towards a table behind her that hadn’t been in the Pathfinder’s quarters before the last time Suvi had been there.  
  
Then Suvi realised it was not just a table, it was a dinner table, with actual candles, and two gleaming food covers.  
  
“Ryder! You shouldn’t have…” Suvi said, looking at Ryder in disbelief. “I mean, it’s brilliant. But where did you get that table? And those food covers?”  
  
Ryder smiled and she guided Suvi towards her chair, and sat down opposite of her. “Do you like it? The table was easy, but let me tell you about getting these candles past Vetra’s inspection. We’re packing a whole bunch of grenades on the Tempest, but if you can light it and it doesn’t explode, Vetra doesn’t trust it. Period. It was very awkard” Ryder explained with a huge smile on her face.  
  
“Besides, of course I had to. Well, I wanted to. Taking you on a proper date has been quite a challenge, let me tell you that.”  
  
Suvi had to laugh out loud at that. Ryder had been right, going on a simple date had been challenging to say the least, so this was a welcome change. And the food smelled absolutely brilliant. There was something familiar to it, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. She looked at Ryder, who was looking very happy, and she felt a warmth spread through her chest.  
  
“Now, please allow me, Dr. Anwar” Ryder said solemnly, as she got up, poured Suvi a glass of wine, and lifted the food covers.  
  
Suvi’s eyes widened at seeing the dish before her, memories of being a kid flashing before her eyes.  
  
Ryder sat down and asked: “Look familiar?”  
  
“Ryder, is that what I think it is?” Suvi asked, as she inspected her food before her.  
  
“If you’re thinking that is a true, original, Scottisch, Shepard’s pie, you’re wrong. However, it is a true, original, Heleus Shepard’s pie.” Ryder answered. “But yes, based on a Scottish recipe. Believe it or not, Drack helped me put it together.”  
  
Suvi looked up at hearing that. “You have got to be shitting me!”  
  
“No seriously, he’s actually a great cook!” Ryder said and they both started laughing.  
  
“Come on, let’s not wait until it gets cold” Ryder continued, raising her glass to clink with Suvi’s.  
  
Suvi took a few bites from the meal before her. She could now taste familiar tastes: something that tasted like green peas, mashed potatoes, and actual beef. For a second, she was back in Scotland, a 18-year old girl, surrounded by her loud brothers and her parents on a Saturday eve.  
  
“What do you think?” Ryder asked carefully. When she didn’t get an answer, she tried again: “Suvi, you’re still with us?”  
  
Suvi looked up: “It’s perfect Ryder.”  
  
Ryder’s heart swelled at that. She had put in a lot of effort in preparing the meal for tonight. Not having any cooking skills, she had resorted to asking SAM and Drack to help her with the recipe, and Drack had made it his mission to bring back a piece of game that would taste just like beef. Her own personal mission she had kept a secret from him.  
  
The first time Suvi had been in Ryder’s quarters, she had noticed some hints of the homesickness Suvi was suffering from. On their other dates, those hints had only become more apparent, and while Ryder couldn’t take Suvi’s homesickness away, she could at least try to convert it to some more positive feelings. Not only that, she wanted to protect her as best as she could. Not only from the dangers in Heleus, but also from feelings of loneliness. She just wanted her to know that she would be there for her, unconditionally.  
  
The rest of their meal was filled with talking about what their favourite dishes used to be in the Milky way, and afterwards they ended on Ryder’s sofa, talking about the weirdest things they had ever eaten.  
  
At one point, Ryder was wiping tears of laughter of her face while she laughed uncontrollably.  
  
“You ate what?!! Are you insane?” she shouted between laughs.  
  
“It was on a dare at uni!” Suvi answered, burying her face in her hands. “And they weren’t raw ok? My roommate cooked them before I ate them!”  
  
Ryder was starting to have trouble breathing from laughing so hard.  
  
“Don’t tell me you never did do anything stupid on a dare Ryder!” Suvi said, desperately trying to change the subject.  
  
“Oh yes, absolutely! But no one could ever make me eat varren testicles” Ryder answered.  
  
“You’ve never tried haggis then I’m sure” Suvi joked. “So what’s yours then? Weirdest dish ever?”  
  
Ryder thought a bit about it, and then thought about one time at a restaurant in the Citadel.  
  
“Remember how I grew up on the Citadel? When I was about sixteen, I used to hang with a lot of those cool kids, a few turians and batarians. And we used to go to this sushi place a lot, which had really amazing sushi. So one time, we ordered sushi and it tasted ab-so-lute-ly disgusting. Like someone had dipped the fish in acid and then rolled it in hanar faeces or something. Turned out two of my batarian friends had bribed the waiter to bring me a raw fish from the Presidium lakes. Let me tell you, those fish are not healthy! So maybe not very weird, but definitely the most disgusting.”  
  
Suvi pulled a face at hearing Ryder’s description.  
  
“Yeah, I was sick for a day after that” Ryder added.  
  
“What was it like growing up on the Citadel? It sounds amazing to have batarian and turian friends when you’re so young, even if they do make you eat gross fish” Suvi asked.  
  
“Crowded” Ryder answered. “But we didn’t have it too bad. We had a nice apartment in a section that hosted mostly salarians and asari. Turians were usually a bit distant towards us and batarians were mostly assholes to everyone. And yet those were the friends I chose to hang out with.”  
  
“Do you miss it?”  
  
Ryder looked at Suvi. She was so genuinely interested in her, and not as if she was some science project she wanted to learn all about.  
  
“Sometimes, but I think I miss my time at Gagarin station with Scott the most. We had an amazing team there and… well let’s just say Scott and I connected. And maybe I just miss him. We were supposed to be here together in Heleus, figuring it all out together.”  
  
Suvi took Ryder’s hand. “Sara? He’s still here with you in Heleus. And everything you’re doing here, aren’t you also doing that for him? Isn’t he one of your reasons why you are so driven to do what you’re doing now? Him and your father?”  
  
Ryder looked at Suvi’s eyes, who seemed to pierce hers and look straight into her mind. She could see nothing but compassion there, and a hint of sorrow. At least Ryder still had her brother here with her in Heleus. Suvi’s had lived out their lives hundreds of years ago.  
  
“And you know what. I believe, and I really do, that he will wake up one day, and you will still have the whole of Heleus to discover together” Suvi added.  
  
Ryder smiled. “As long as there will be some Heleus left to explore together with you.”  
  
“You better make sure there is, or we’ll have to find another galaxy” Suvi said softly, as she let her head lean against Ryder’s shoulder.  
  
They sat there quietly for some time, until Ryder got up and walked to her desk.  
  
“Hey Suvi, I want to show you something” she said as she grabbed a small, dark, metal sphere and put it on the table in front of Suvi. She dimmed the lights with her omni tool and tapped the small metal sphere. Immediately, it lit up with greenish lights coming from all sides. There was a flash of light and both Ryder and Suvi had to cover their eyes for a second.  
  
When they looked up again, the whole quarter was filled with a holographic projection of the Milky Way, not unlike something they had seen in one of the remnant vaults. At the core, there was a strong yellowish light, and it was surrounded by hundred thousands of star clusters, all emitting a soft white light. Beams of purple and blue were visible between the clusters and everything was projected with such an incredibly amount of detail, that Suvi was absolutely at a loss for where to look.  
  
“One of my father’s projects” Ryder explained. She tapped her omni-tool, and approximately two hundred clusters lit up with a blue light.  
  
“He wanted to remember his work as an N7, and all the places he had visited, so he made his own, personalised hologram of the Milky Way. You see every cluster that lights up now? He’s been there. Two hundred clusters, three hundred and twenty nine solar systems, four hundred and eighteen different planets.”  
  
“That’s… that’s amazing” Suvi managed to whisper, looking at all the clusters that lit up. “It’s like keeping a diary, only a thousand times more brilliant and beautiful.”  
  
Ryder smiled. Seeing the fascination in Suvi’s eyes, just like always had when she made a new discovery, was absolutely compelling.  
  
“But I’m not trying to show off my father’s work as a N7. Tell me Suvi, what was that city again you grew up in?” Ryder asked.  
  
“Edinburgh, in Scotland” Suvi replied, looking a bit confused at Ryder.  
  
“Edinburgh it is” Ryder answered as she tapped it in at her omni-tool.  
  
All of a sudden, it seemed like the room had started to spin, but then Suvi realised it was the holographic projection that was turning, and slowly started to zoom in, until all she could see were white beams that were stars and clusters flying by, not unlike flying through space with the Tempest. The zooming in slowed down as they reached a view of the Sol system. Then the view slowly turned to Earth and the hologram started to zoom in again. Earth was now in full view and Suvi could see the continents, and the United Republic of Europe. She could start making out the contours of Scotland. When the projection came to a halt, they had a full, 3D view of Edinburgh, as it looked like in 2182. She could see Edinburgh castle, the university and the whole of the city.  
  
Suvi gasped and looked at Ryder, completely at a loss for words.  
  
Ryder showed her her omni-tool. “It’s interactive, go on, try it.”  
  
Suvi reached out to Ryder’s omni tool and soon found out she could navigate through the streets of Edinburgh as if they were taking a sky car.  
  
“Will you…will show me the house you grew up in?” Ryder asked, hoping she wouldn’t go too far by asking Suvi such a personal thing.  
  
“Can I?” Suvi replied enthusiastically, as she started navigating through the map. Not soon after, they arrived at a block just outside of the city and near a forest, at a two story house, which looked like it was built in the 21st century. It had red bricks and a white front door, and although you couldn’t see it, it had a large backyard. Suvi could remember it so vividly. She swallowed hard at seeing the home she grew up in again.  
  
“Ryder, this…this is amazing” she managed to say. She looked at Ryder, the woman who had put in all her efforts tonight in trying to make her remember home again. The woman on this ship who knew like no other what it felt like to lose your family and still try to push on for them. Her heart ached every time Ryder went out on a mission because she was absolutely terrified to lose what was now becoming the most important thing to her in Heleus, but now it ached because this beautiful woman was undoubtedly showing Suvi what she meant to her.  
  
“I hoped you would like it” Ryder said softly, and she guided Suvi to the sofa to sit down with her.  
  
They sat down and for two whole hours they showed each other the places they remembered visiting in the Milky Way. Suvi showed Ryder the city where she first did her PhD in mathematics, a Salarian planet near to Sur’Kesh. Ryder on her turn showed Suvi several planets where she had had her training and where she completed her first missions.  
  
“Are you allowed to talk about that, your missions?” Suvi asked.  
  
“It has been 600 years, no one will care now” Ryder answered.  
  
“Besides, this whole thing, the GalaxZ as they call it, was strictly confidential when they first made it in the Milky Way. Too much detail on military outposts and information on all planets. But now it’s just a fancy globe now really.”  
  
Suvi smiled. “Thank you for all this Ryder.”  
  
Ryder put an arm around Suvi. “You’re welcome. And you’re also welcome at any time to come in here and take a look if you ever get homesick.”  
  
“I think that I’m starting to feel more and more at home in Heleus the last few weeks” Suvi replied.  
  
“Oh really? And what has happened to make you feel that way?” Ryder teased.  
  
“I think you know what” Suvi teased back, stroking the side of Ryder’s face ever so lightly.  
  
Ryder leaned in and whispered in Suvi’s ear: “why don’t you show me?”  
  
With that, Suvi took Ryder’s chin and pulled her towards her, as their lips crashed together.


	7. Connection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys,
> 
> As you may have noticed, I had a HUGE writer's block for this chapter. But it's here, and I hope it's everything you have all been waiting for :)  
> Couldn't do it to Suvi and Ryder not to finish that scene right? ;)

Ryder felt Suvi pulling her close and kissing her fiercely. Unlike their previous encounters, where they had started out shyly, this time there was no hesitation. She could feel Suvi’s hands slide through her hair and to her neck and Suvi’s lips parting and teasing hers with her tongue. A jolt of electricity hit Ryder between her legs as Suvi took complete control of the kiss.

Ryder gave in and answered Suvi’s teasing by parting her lips and engaging in the kiss. But Suvi was nowhere ready to give up control yet, and made sure Ryder knew it by occasionally biting softly on her lower lip.

Ryder let her hands trace Suvi’s back, just along the lines of where Suvi’s dress stopped. The redhead gave a small shudder in her arms. Now tracing the lines of the dress on Suvi’s sides, she felt the soft curves of her breasts and Suvi moaned softly into her mouth, sending another flash of heat between her legs.

Encouraged by Suvi’s soft groans, she now traced the curves of her breasts, enjoying how the silk felt beneath her fingers.

“God Ryder, you really know how to tease a woman, don’t you?” Suvi breathed into her ear.

“I try” Ryder said as she could feel Suvi’s nipple harden through the fabric, and giving it a soft pinch. “Is it working?”

Suvi couldn’t help but to let out a loud moan and bit down hard on Ryder’s lip. “You have no idea.” She moved her kisses to Ryder’s neck, eliciting a hiss from Ryder as she sucked on a particular sensitive spot. Her hands left Ryder’s sides and moved towards her shirt, as she fidgeted with the buttons trying to take if off.

Ryder’s head always spun when Suvi kissed her in her neck, and she could feel wetness pooling in her briefs. Suvi had managed to unfasten all the buttons of her shirt and Ryder quickly helped her get rid of it and disregarded it on the floor. She was now clad in her black bra and her trousers and as she looked up at Suvi’s face, she could see a hunger in her eyes, which were now admiring her abs and breasts.

Suvi had stopped kissing Ryder and was now unashamedly taking in the view before her. She almost hesitantly reached out with one hand and touched Ryder’s abs, and let out a deep exhale. “Goodness Ryder…” she managed to utter.

Ryder blushed and secretly she felt a little proud of all her hard work with Cora over the past few weeks, which had definitely helped her get in this shape. She took Suvi’s hands and pulled her against her again, spinning her around and pushing her against the nearest wall. This time it was her turn to lavish Suvi’s neckline with kisses, while Suvi’s hands roamed her toned shoulders and back.

“So you have a thing for women who are in shape?” Ryder whispered into Suvi’s ear, placing a kiss just beneath it.

“Maybe just a little bit” Suvi moaned softly. She couldn’t think anymore, she could only feel Ryder’s kisses and touches that set fire to her skin and opened up a desire she had hardly realised she was capable of feeling.

Ryder was relentless, now biting in Suvi’s neck as her hand found Suvi’s breast again, instantly finding Suvi’s hard nipple and pinching it.

“And does this have anything to do with the fact that I saw you in the hold nearly every time I worked out with Cora?” Ryder teased.

Suvi grinned, and answered teasingly: “Possibly.”

Ryder smirked at hearing Suvi sort of admit she specifically came down to the hold to watch her work out with Cora.

She felt Suvi’s hands move to her belt, as she started fidgeting to loosen it. “I want to see you Ryder. I want to feel you” she gasped softly, as she struggled with Ryder’s belt.

If Ryder had any self-constraint left before, it was now completely gone at hearing Suvi say that. She kicked off her shoes as she let Suvi loosen her belt and she reached out to the zipper of her dress. After a short but a little awkward struggle, they had both gotten rid of most of their clothes. Suvi had elegantly stepped out of her heels, and Ryder had wiggled out of her trousers. They were both now wearing nothing but their underwear, and as Ryder let her eyes wander over Suvi’s body, admiring all her curves, her eyes stopped when she reached Suvi’s upper legs.

Faintly, very faintly, she could make out white-pinkish scars that adorned Suvi’s quadriceps. They were lighter than Suvi’s skin, and looked like they were years old, while they had only been there for about two months. Ryder immediately felt a pang of guilt, and her stomach churned at the memory of Suvi being in so much agony.

She took a step forward and let her fingertips run over Suvi’s hips and upper legs, just a few inches above the faint scars.

“Suvi…I…” she whispered, desperately searching for words to express her regret whilst avoiding looking Suvi in the eyes.

_What could she say? Aside from mostly mild injuries, she had managed to keep her crew safe, but during that one moment she had let her guard down, the person she cared about the most was severely injured. Was there any way she could ever be relieved of the guilt she felt? Could Suvi eventually really forgive her for this?_

Ryder escaped from her thoughts when she felt Suvi’s hand on her chin, gently forcing her to look her in the eyes.

“Ryder, listen to me” Suvi said softly, as her hand left Ryder’s chin and stroked her cheek. “I know I can’t read your mind, but if I know you half as well as I think I do, you have been torturing yourself over this so much the last two months. And I want you to Stop. Doing. That.” she said, emphasising the last three words. “Please?”

Hearing Suvi’s words, it was as Ryder felt a knot untangle in her stomach. She gave a smile and whispered: “Ok ok, I promise.”

 “Good. I know you care, but you’re officially released from worrying-duty” Suvi joked.

With that, Ryder leaned in to kiss Suvi once again, her guilt quelled and her heart pounding hard again at the realisation they were both half naked, only inches away from each other.

At one point Suvi took control of Ryder again, and pulled her on top of her as she lied down on Ryder’s bed. Her hands finding purchase at Ryder’s ass, gripping it firmly. _Wow, her ass is even more toned than it looks_ she thought, as she gave an extra squeeze.

Ryder groaned at Suvi’s assertiveness and kissed her again. This time, her kisses slowly trailed down Suvi’s neck, to her chest. She could see and hear Suvi’s breath speeding up as she approached her breasts. Suvi’s hands were now in Ryder’s hair, and she found it very difficult not to push Ryder towards her goal. Torturingly slow Ryder moved to kiss the exposed part of Suvi’s breast, just above her bra.

She wriggled her arm between the bed and Suvi’s back and tried to find the clasp of her bra, which to her immense frustration, seemed nowhere to be found.

Suvi looked down at Ryder, who was looking a little confused, and giggled. “Ryder?”

Ryder looked up at Suvi.

“Front clasp” Suvi said, while giving Ryder a smirk.

It took Ryder a second to process what she was saying, but then she finally understood. She looked in front of her, at the clasp of Suvi’s bra that had been right in front of her the whole time.

She flushed red and said: “wow, ok, I feel like I am in high school again.”

Suvi bent forward a little and kissed Ryder. “Please don’t let it stop what you were doing to me. You’ll drive me insane if you do.”

Ryder smiled and quickly unhooked Suvi’s bra, revealing two perfect breasts that were dotted with freckles and had small, soft pink nipples. _She really is too perfect_ Ryder thought as Suvi’s breasts were revealed to her.

She bent over Suvi again, kissing and biting softly in Suvi’s neck as her hand moved up to Suvi’s left nipple, and she slid a strong thigh between Suvi’s legs. Suvi bucked her hips and groaned because of all the extra stimulation. She felt Ryder’s fingers ghost over her breast, and her nipples immediately stiffened to the touch, and a moan escaped her mouth.

Feeling Suvi’s hips gyrating against her thigh and hearing her moan drove Ryder completely wild. She  turned her attention to Suvi’s nipples again, one hand pinching the left nipple, as she took the right in her mouth and licked it. Immediately she could feel Suvi’s body responding, as Suvi’s breath hitched and her muscles tensed. Next, she gave a short tug with her teeth on Suvi’s nipple, and Suvi let out a high pitched note and gave an extra jerk with her hips, trying to find purchase on Ryder’s thigh.

She put on extra pressure with her leg that was between Suvi’s thighs, and Suvi responded by digging her fingers in Ryder’s back. Suvi’s breathing sped up even more, and she let her head fall back into the pillow as all the stimulation overwhelmed her. Even without direct skin-to-skin contact, Ryder was driving her completely mad, sex-starved as she was after 600 years.

“Ryder” she managed to say, and Ryder slowed down. “I need more… skin, more of you” Suvi rasped.

Ryder understood immediately and moved a little more towards the end of the bed. In no hurry to get all this over with, she first stopped to tease Suvi by stroking her inner thighs, coming a little closer to the junction of her legs with ever stroke. Finally deciding she could not wait any longer, she hooked her index fingers in Suvi’s briefs, and slowly started tugging. Two extremely sexy hipbones were the first to be revealed, and soon after, Ryder could see tiny red curls pop up over the edge of the briefs, and then a shimmer of wetness as she fully pulled down Suvi’s briefs.

She heard an awkward giggle and looked up to see Suvi, completely flushed again. “Sorry, just… feeling a little exposed here” she giggled, and Ryder realised she probably had been staring a second too long.

“Sorry, I’m just completely mesmerised by how fucking gorgeous you are” Ryder blurted out.

Suvi laughed again. “How about you get naked too?” she said with a smirk.

Ryder quickly wiggled out of her own briefs, and she was pulled back on top of Suvi again. Again, she put her leg between Suvi’s thighs, immediately feeling wetness on her upper leg as she put a little pressure. Suvi gasped as Ryder sped up her pace, and she dragged her fingers along her back again.

Slowly, Ryder wriggled a hand between their bodies and found a way down. She teased Suvi’s curls a bit before moving further down to her wet folds. She shimmered her fingers over the wet skin, and Suvi moaned softly. Ryder repeated her motions again and again, sometimes adding a little more pressure, until the slipped her finger between Suvi’s folds and hit a particularly sensitive spot.

Suvi surged up from the pillow and hissed, almost as if she was in pain, and buried her head in Ryder’s neck as she fiercely grabbed Ryder’s shoulder. “Fuuuuuuck!” she moaned in Ryder’s neck. Ryder couldn’t help but grin. “Such profanity, not what I’m used to from you Suvi.”

“Well, I am not used to this” Suvi breathed heavily. Another swear-word involuntarily left her lips as Ryder repeated her motion, stroking gently but firmly over the base of her clit with two fingers. She had forgotten how intense sex could be, how completely different sex with another person was from masturbation.

Ryder, now determined to evoke as many reactions as she could from Suvi, picked up the pace and added a little more pressure. She was rewarded with more of Suvi’s cursing and whimpering. She couldn’t control herself anymore as she sped up even more, her wet hand now working feverishly between Suvi’s legs. It was as if with every moan, every gasp of Suvi, she was getting closer to her own orgasm.

Suvi’s orgasm hit her like lightning, and rolled over her like thunder. Just before falling over the edge she tensed up, her head still buried in Ryder neck, she uttered “Oh Lord, fuuuuck!” just before biting down in Ryder’s shoulder as her orgasm hit her and shockwaves coursed through her body.

Ryder could just look down in awe as Suvi’s orgasm hit her, her own desire exploding between her legs. She held on to her as Suvi’s shocks slowly came down to a halt. Suvi released her grip and let her head fall back into the pillow. “Holy shit” she said, plucking a strand of red hair from Suvi’s sweaty forehead. “Holy shit” Suvi echoed, still catching her breath.

They lied there for a few minutes as Suvi came down from her mind-blowing high. When Suvi started stroking the side of Ryder’s breast, Ryder immediately felt her need and arousal returning to her. It had been immensely satisfying, but she hadn’t had her release yet.

Suvi rolled Ryder over until they were both lying on their sides, facing each other. She continued teasing Ryder’s breast, playing with her hard nipple, as her left hand traced the curves of Ryder’s hips. “You know, I was hoping I would get a look at these as I watched you work out those last weeks” Suvi said, as her hand reached Ryder’s glutes.

“And, are you satisfied with the results?” Ryder answered, smirking. She had _really_ been working her ass off last weeks. “Oh definitely” Suvi replied while giving Ryder’s ass a squeeze.

She leaned forward to kiss Ryder again and this time moved her hand from Ryder’s ass to her stomach, and started tickling her way down. _Oh she’s been preparing for this_ Suvi thought as she  felt Ryder’s smooth shaven skin. Unlike Suvi, Ryder didn’t moan as Suvi’s fingers teased her folds, but she breathed really heavy. _O my God, she is so wet._ Suvi kissed Ryder again as she slowly stroked Ryder’s outer folds. Ryder moved her leg to give Suvi better access, and Suvi caught the hint and slid her fingers through the wetness that had gathered between Ryder’s legs.

With each stroke she went a little deeper, until she was teasing Ryder’s entrance with her middle finger. She looked at Ryder, as if asking for permission. Ryder gave an almost unnoticeable nod, and Suvi slowly slid in her middle finger. Ryder’s eyes widened and she inhaled sharply as she felt Suvi enter her. Suvi started slowly moving her finger in and out of Ryder, keeping a slow but steady pace, while she held eye contact with Ryder.

Ryder hissed when Suvi added a second finger and surrendered to her urge to move her hips to find more purchase on Suvi’s fingers. _How could this be so incredibly good and at the same time so much torment?_ Ryder noticed a little mischievous smirk on Suvi’s face, right before she let out a loud moan, as Suvi curled both of her fingers inside her. Another moan escaped from her as Suvi repeated her curling motion. _Fuuuuuuck what is she doing to me?!_

“Ryder, please touch me” Suvi said softly. Ryder happily complied, and she moved her hand first to Suvi’s thighs, and then gathered some wetness that still lingered between Suvi’s legs. Suvi whimpered as Ryder’s finger entered her, moving her hips to direct Ryder to the perfect spot.

Both where overwhelmed by all the stimuli, their breathing, moans, hips, bodies, all coming together. First they basked in the feeling of being to intimately close to one another, but soon their hips started moving more wildly, seeking purchase on each other’s fingers, whilst trying to pleasure the other as best as they could.

Suvi’s fingers had found the perfect spot, and Ryder started to feel she was losing control. “God Suvi, please don’t stop. Please don’t stop. Please don’t stop. Don’t stop. Don’t stop.” She kept repeating it, clinging on to Suvi as if the galaxy depended on it. “Fuck, I’m gonna…” she couldn’t finish her sentence as her orgasm washed over her. It felt like she was exploding, as if she had been drowning and finally had been able to come up for breath again. Suvi’s orgasm came right after her own, and she felt the redhead’s contractions on her fingers as Suvi groaned and cursed into her ear.

They both needed a few minutes to come to their senses again, and Ryder put her arm around Suvi, pulling her close to her chest.

Ryder planted a kiss on Suvi’s forehead, and whispered: “Suvi, I lov… I mean, you’re amazing” Ryder said, as she swallowed her words. Suvi snuggled her head against Ryder’s chest and answered. “No, you are amazing, Sara Ryder.”

Suvi looked up to Ryder, catching her eye. “And I love you too.” She kissed Ryder on the lips before nestling her head again against her chest and falling asleep within minutes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed it! I really had a difficult time writing down the sex scene. Visualising it was no problem, but writing it down was. As always: tips and constructive criticism are very welcome :)


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